Home Working Creates More Cyber Attacks
A remote workforce comes with numerous risks, with employees relying on their home networks and sometimes their own devices, to complete tasks. In many cases they will lack the skills to deal with even simple technical issues and will be dependent up remote IT support.
According to Velocity-Smart Technology’s recent research 70% of remote workers said they had experienced IT problems during the pandemic, and 54% had to wait up to three hours for the issue to be resolved.
Remote employees may be unknowingly putting your company's data at risk. Working from home can potentially lead to data breaches, identity fraud, and a host of other negative consequences.
REvil, a cyber criminal hacking group, chose US Independence Day, 4 July for a number of cyber attacks knowing that many IT and cyber security teams would be on holiday. Over a 1,000 companies in the US, and at least 17 other countries were hacked. Among those hacked was a well-known software provider, Kaseya. REvil used Kaseya as a conduit to spread its ransomware through other corporate and cloud-based networks that use the software.
REvil subsequently claimed responsibility for the incident and claimed to have encrypted more than one million systems. The group then demanded a ransom of $70m (£50.5m) in Bitcoin for the release of a universal decryption tool that would allow those affected to recover their crucial files.
Hacking experts warn that such attacks are likely to become more frequent, and suggest businesses cannot afford to underestimate the hidden impact the pandemic has had on their vulnerability. A recent survey from the leading security firm, Tessian, found that 56% of senior IT technicians believe their employees have picked up bad cyber-security habits while working from home. Furthermore, the survey found that many employees agreed with that assessment.
- Nearly two in five (39%) admitted that their cyber-security practices at home were less thorough than those practiced in the office, with half admitting that this is a result of feeling less scrutinised by their IT departments now, than prior to Covid.
Experts also warn of a significant growth in the number of coronavirus-themed phishing emails targeting employees, being reported by several companies around the world. Attacks are rising not only because of remote working but as criminals become more organised and ransomware attacks become easier to execute.
The only reason ransomware remains lucrative is because victims pay the ransom, opting to do so because they think it is as the best way to restore the network. But paying the ransom means attacks will just continue. Employers, management and employees need to act quickly to plug potential security threats to ensure their businesses continues to operate safely and avoids any hack that may affect themselves and their clients.
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